ISSUES THAT ENHANCE TEACHER EDUCATOR’S SUCCESS AND
CONTRIBUTION TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL CITIZENS IN THE
CHANGING LANDSCAPE
Yibeltal Nigussie,
Mekelle University Mekelle, Ethiopia.
ABSTRACT
Teachers who educate teachers are the people who instruct, teach and provide support to
student-teachers, thus making a significant contribution to the development of prospective
teachers. Teacher educators are the pillar for making educational institutions achieve the
objectives making every graduate contribute at least a bit for development endeavor of the
country in both south poor and northern rich nations in the world. Practically meeting
objectives of such type is not easy and this certainly require an extensive and sustainable
involvement of all of major stakeholder of the country (students teachers, teacher educators,
parents, school administrator, local and higher government, local community etc).In this
paper particular emphasis is given on identifying factors important for making teacher
educator productive in their careers. Experience of various academic institutions and
teachers and teacher educators as found in various researches were referred to identify what,
how and who can make teacher educator superb in their profession. It is be found that
teacher educators need to learn relevant curriculum and appraising effectiveness of teacher
educator preparation program for the student teacher is also very important. In addition,
teacher educators need to possess reflection and self study skill, an ongoing understanding of
the changing environment, pedagogical skill, and knowledge for teaching.
1 .Introduction
The educators‘ roles are numerous and diverse: they are lecturers in a specific field of
expertise; they make the learning process accessible to student-teachers; they encourage
reflective processes in the trainees; and they are involved in research and in developing
research skills in their students. Beyond all these, they demonstrate the need to cope
simultaneously with teaching, and training people to teach; that is, with the need to provide
models. That duality is typified by their need to be constantly aware that they are
role-models, to be familiar with teaching strategies appropriate for adult learners and for young
learners—and to be able to distinguish between the two (Korthagen et al., 2005; Koster et al.,
2005; Smith, 2005; McGee & Lawrence, 2009). On the other side Teachers in every parts of
the world live and work on school landscapes changed being caused by different factors like
globalization, immigration, demographics, economic disparities and environmental changes.
Within those landscapes teachers find themselves struggling to compose lives that allow them
to live with respect and dignity in relation with children, youth and families. (Clandinin,
Downey & Huber (2009). Teachers are severely affected time because there are so many
forces in the environment (in their class, school, their social lives and policy changes) that
conspire to undermine their effort to create more productive citizens. As stated above teacher
educator have numerous responsibilities but also there are a number of environmental factors
(forces) that can constrained their effort that might hinder their further professional
development. Successfulness in the field of teacher education will not come easily and to me
it is an ongoing process that starts as student teacher and as teacher educator professional and
while working as teacher educator in schools/universities.
“There is no more important responsibility for a school, college, department, or
faculty of Education than to do the best job that it possibly can in preparing teachers
to teach in the schools or our nation and to support the learning of these teachers
throughout their careers. If we are not prepared to take this responsibility more
seriously and do all that we can to have the best possible teacher education
programs, then we should let someone else do the job. Taking more seriously the
new scholarships in teacher education and using it to help us make our programs
2.
Research QuestionThis article tried to assess address two important issues
1. What important components/elements teacher educators have to learn in
universities?
2. What teacher educators have to do (activities) as a professionals in order to be
successful in their professional career and to help their student teacher or to
create successful citizen?
3.
MethodologyThis article tries to stipulate important components to produce astute teacher educators in the
most ever changing education environment globally. To do so a lots of literatures written in
the area of teacher education were reviewed carefully. But it doesn‘t mean that this article
inculcates all the necessary attributes to create shiny teacher educators. Hence this paper
Provide a synthesis of ideas and issues that are critical aspects of the pedagogy of teacher
education. In addition synthesis was made by referring pedagogy of teacher education
journals, articles and books about professional identities of teacher educators and the aspects
that fit into the development of those identities that made them successful in their career.
4. What important components/elements teacher educators have to learn in
universities
4.1 Making the curriculum relevant and stressing effectiveness of teacher educator
preparation program for the student teacher
Teacher education programs have to be relevant and pertinent to the preparation of teachers
for this important role.(Peretz, Kleeman, Reichenberg & Shimoni (2010): Korthagen et al.
claim that:
in the light of the increasing attention paid to the nature of teaching and teachers‘
work, it is not surprising that there has also been an increasing focus on the quality of teacher
education, and hence, that of the teacher educators. This focus has therefore brought attention
to bear on the work of teacher educators such that their professional expertise is becoming
When teachers complain that university work has often been ―too theoretical,‖ they usually
mean that it is too abstract and general, in ways that leave teachers bereft of specific tools to
use in the classroom. The theoretically grounded tools teachers need are many, ranging from
knowledge of curriculum materials and assessment strategies to techniques for organizing
group work and planning student inquiries—and teachers in training need opportunities to
practice with these tools systematically‖( Darling-Hammond,2010). In addition, recent
research indicated that to be most effective, these opportunities for analysis, application, and
reflection should connect to both the subject matter and the students whom candidates teach.
In this way, student teachers learn the fine-grained stuff of practice related to the practical
theories that will allow them to adapt their practice in a well-grounded fashion and to
innovate and improvise to meet the specific classroom contexts they later encounter
(Darling-Hammond, 2010).
New York City database found that some teacher education programs have much more
positive effects than others (Boyd et al., 2008).Some teacher education programs produce
graduates who contribute stronger value-added learning gains for students than do other
teachers. The New York City team of researchers has been exploring what these programs do,
producing findings very similar to those from previous studies of exemplary programs. These
features include:
programs‘ careful oversight of the quality of student teaching experiences;
the match between the context of student teaching and candidates‘ later teaching
assignments, in terms of grade levels, subject matter, and type of students;
the amount of coursework in reading and mathematics content and methods of
teaching;
a focus in courses on helping candidates learn to use specific practices and tools that
are then applied in their clinical experiences;
candidates‘ opportunities to study the local district curriculum;
a capstone project (typically a portfolio of work done in classrooms with students); Programs‘ percentage of tenure-line faculty, which the researchers viewed as a
Effective teacher education program is designed in the way that make student to allocate their
amply time in the field throughout the entire program, which enables them to critically
examine and applying the concepts and strategies they learn and at the same time learn their
courses.
Candidates work alongside teachers who can show them how to teach in ways that are
responsive to learners while they take interwoven coursework. Such programs typically
require at least a full academic year of student teaching under the direct supervision of one or
more teachers who model expert practice with students who have a wide range of learning
needs (Darling-Hammond, 2010). These is a similar approach to what Ball and Forzani
(2009) in their studies about the work of teaching and the challenge of teacher education
emphasized about the Shifting Teacher education From Knowledge to Practice oriented
outlined that the core of the curriculum of teacher education requires a shift from a focus on
what teachers know and believe to a greater focus on what teachers do. This does not mean
that knowledge and beliefs do not matter but, rather, that the knowledge that counts for
practice is that entailed by the work. A practice-based theory of knowledge for teaching (Ball
& Bass, 2003) is derived from the tasks and demands of practice and includes know-how as
well as declarative knowledge. But a practice-focused curriculum for learning teaching would
include significant attention not just to the knowledge demands of teaching but to the actual
tasks and activities involved in the work. It would not settle for developing teachers‘ beliefs
and commitments; instead, it would emphasize repeated opportunities for novices to practice
(Ball and Forzani 2009).
4.2 Knowledge for Teaching: The “What” of Teacher Education
Darling- Hammond (2006) claimed that there are many ways of configuring the knowledge
that teachers may need. In articulating the core concepts and skills that should be represented
in a common curriculum for teacher education, the National Academy of Education
Committee on Teacher Education adopted a framework that is organized on three intersecting
areas of knowledge found in many statements of standards for teaching.
knowledge of learners and how they learn and develop within social contexts,
understanding of curriculum content and goals, including the subject matter and skills
to be taught in light of disciplinary demands, student needs, and the social purposes of
education
understanding of and skills for teaching, including content pedagogical knowledge
and knowledge for teaching diverse learners, as these are informed by an
understanding of assessment and of how to construct and manage a productive
classroom.
4.3 Pedagogical skill
Although it is important to have well-chosen courses that include core knowledge for
teaching, it is equally important to organize prospective teachers‘ experiences so that they can
integrate and use their knowledge in skillful ways in the classroom. This is probably the most
difficult aspect of constructing a teacher education program. Teacher educators must worry
about
not only what to teach but also how, so that knowledge for teaching actually shapes teachers‘
practice and enables them to become adaptive experts who can continue to learn.( Darling
-Hammond,2006)
Accomplishing this requires addressing some special—and perennial—challenges in learning
to teach. Three in particular stand out. First, learning to teach requires that new teachers come
to understand teaching in ways quite different from their own experience as students. Dan
Lortie (1975) called this problem ―the apprenticeship of observation,‖ referring to the
learning that takes place by virtue of being a student for 12 or more years in traditional
classroom settings. Second, learning to teach also requires that new teachers learn not only to
―think like a teacher‖ but also to ―act as a teacher‖—what Mary Kennedy (1999) has termed ―the problem of enactment.‖ Teachers need not only to understand but also to do a wide
variety of things, many of them simultaneously.
Finally, learning to teach requires that new teachers be able to understand and respond to the
requiring trade-offs from moment to moment and day to day (Jackson, 1974). They must
learn to deal with ―the problem of complexity‖ that is made more intense by the constantly
changing nature of teaching and learning in groups.
How can programs of teacher preparation confront these and other problems of learning to
teach? Darling- Hammond (2006) indicated that a study examining seven exemplary teacher
education programs—public and private, undergraduate and graduate, large and small—that
produce graduates who are extraordinarily well prepared from their first days in the classroom
finds that despite outward differences, the programs had common features, including:
a common, clear vision of good teaching that permeates all course work and
clinical experiences, creating a coherent set of learning experiences;
well-defined standards of professional practice and performance that are used to
guide and evaluate course work and clinical work;
a strong core curriculum taught in the context of practice and grounded in
knowledge of child and adolescent development and learning, an understanding
of social and cultural contexts, curriculum assessment, and subject matter
pedagogy;
extended clinical experiences—at least 30 weeks of supervised practicum and
student teaching opportunities in each program—that are carefully chose to
support the ideas presented in simultaneous, closely interwoven course work;
extensive use of case methods, teacher research, performance assessments, and
portfolio evaluation that apply learning to real problems of practice;
explicit strategies to help students to confront their own deep-seated beliefs and
assumptions about learning and students and to learn about the experiences of
people different from themselves;
strong relationships, common knowledge, and shared beliefs among school- and
university-based faculty jointly engaged in transforming teaching, schooling, and
In addition to the deeper knowledge base (Darling- Hammond,2006) have described above,
such powerful teacher education and rests on certain critically important pedagogical
cornerstones that have been difficult to attain in many programs since teacher education
moved from normal school into universities in the 1950s
5. What Teacher educators have to do (activities) as a professionals in order
to be successful in their professional career
5.1 Reflection and self study skill: studying and researching one’s own work, in order to improve it.
The term ‗reflection ‘is a very broad that refer to both the skill and the attitude of making
one‘s own actions, feelings, experiences the object of one‘s thinking and reflection that is
both deep and broad enough to encompass its moral, political and emotional dimensions
(Hargreaves, 1995). Most educationalists agree the importance of reflection and reflectivity in
teaching and teacher development (Kelchtermans, 2009). Reflection in teaching profession
does not only need to be broad and wide in its content only, but also deep enough. The depth
of reflection refers to the fact that is should move beyond the level of action to the level of
underlying beliefs, ideas, knowledge and goals (Kelchtermans, 2009).
Reflection and self-study are the key for self-and-action improvement and are looked upon as
main actors that motivate and direct the professional development of teacher educators. In
line with this Self study enables teacher educator to view their own teaching and try to learn
about it, study it and improve it overtime and succeed in their career (M. Ben-Peretz et al.,2010).
Teacher educator has to be able to look at social phenomena and social practices from various
points of view. One needs to be exposed to qualitative interpretative narrative inquiries. A
teacher educator needs to learn how to interpret students‘ behavior, how to listen to the voice of the ‗other (M. BePeretz et al., 2010).
Pinnegar & Hamilton (2009) suggested that the self-study of teaching practices is best suited
methodology for an undertaking to research my experience as a teacher educator attempting
Reflective inquiry and self-study can be linked through desires to improve practice and
contribute to the lives of others.
Below I will provide short excerpts about self study taken from M.L. Hamilton et al (2009) in
their self-study work that demonstrate how self-study contribute to the development of the
professional learning and knowledge of teacher educators.
Mary Lynn
―For me, self-study has become very important as a way to help me work towards
a positive classroom climate. My self-study work helps me develop a greater awareness of the
difficulties I face and enables me to find ways of dealing with them especially as I model
reflection on practice for my students. For me, thinking about my teaching has many layers –
I always look to improve my own practice, I look to understand the learning-to-teach process
in search of better ways to communicate that process to my students, and sometimes I prepare
my work to share publicly with teachers, teacher educators and others‖(M.L. Hamilton et al
,2009). To offer an example of how I enact these ideas I provide one vignette:
―After teaching many years I had a semester where my students complained (what
seemed to be) endlessly about my lack of organization and my lack of specificity. From
my perspective
I thought that I provided intricate detail and well organized information. For them, at
least some of them, they felt in the dark about what I wanted, how I wanted it, and why I
wanted it. As the semester progressed, tensions mounted. I provided what I thought was
more detail; they heard a lack of specificity. I asked myself questions about my practices,
sought different strategies, and yet still missed the mark. More worrisome was the
interference this issue caused in the total performance (learning process) of students in
the classroom. It seemed that they were not always learning what they needed to learn in
the class. Although issues became more balanced over time, I never felt satisfied with my
own practice and the quality of learning experiences I provided for my students. What to
Reflecting on self-study process has led to boosted understanding of the challenges
encountered by pre service teachers and this reflection further has also motivated me to
develop curriculum and establish classroom environments that facilitate collaboration and
reflection on personal experiences in order to address the challenges of classroom teaching
(Julian Kitchen 2005).
5.2 Involving teacher educator, teachers in teacher education policy formulation and education policy reforms
In different countries teachers were not the main actors in teacher education policy
formulation and education policy reforms which ultimately constrained them from conducting
their work effectively. In turn some reforms in turn are failed from achieving their goal. This
shows the bilateral relationship between teacher educator and new education policy and
policy reforms. Teachers‘ opinions have been overlooked in the planning of reforms and
professional development programs; thus, teachers have been confused, frustrated and angry,
and have perceived reform as a hindrance. Zhu (2010) as cited in Villegas-Reimers, such cases have been reported in Hong Kong (Morris, Chang and Ling, 2000), in England and Wales
(Day, 2000), in Australia (Chadborunes, 1995) and in Europe (Klette, 2000). Some teaching
reforms have failed in some countries due to teachers‘ insufficient knowledge and
understanding of the proposed change, and their beliefs and attitudes towards the reformed
curriculum (Van Driel et al., 2001). Involving teacher educator in the educational policy
reforms and providing adequate training will increase the likelihood of success of the
educational reforms in the implementation phase. In return teacher educator can do better
work in the changed environment and the teacher educator can contribute better to their
student teacher and providing ample training is very crucial in order to enhance their
professional development.
5.3 Understanding the Landscape of Teacher Education: Framing the Challenge through relational approach
Kitchen stated (2009) Teacher educator and school boards faced challenges as they sought to
prepare aspiring and novice teachers for success in the classroom. Kitchen in his course
―The education system has been under constant attack from students, parents, business
leaders, the press and politicians. Teachers and schools have been challenged for both
their actions and their failure to act. This criticism is not always well founded, but it
often hits the mark since most teachers are not wholly satisfied either. The same is true
for teacher education, the process of becoming a teacher. Indeed, top teacher educators
hav often led the chorus of criticism. Goodlad (1991), after extensive research on teache
education in the United States, concluded that there was a ―general failure to connect
teacher education and schooling‖ and that current practices ―virtually guaranteed that the status quo would be protected‖, despite its unsatisfactory results‖ (Course paper,
December 1992).
Kitchen (2009) stressed that developing teacher education programs that facilitate
relationship enhances opportunities for meaningful reflection and collaboration. A relational
approach according to Kitchen to teacher education, regardless of the opportunities or
challenges posed by the institutional landscape, would make teacher educator to be reliant on
teacher educators who show empathy, respect and a commitment to community and in this
way framing the challenge is possible. Programmatic changes such as the establishment of
cohorts, an increased focus on reflective practice and a greater focus on the relationship
between school and society have offer opportunities for individual teacher educators to
develop authentic professional relationships with students and communities of learners. One
way of respecting and empathizing with pre service teachers is to assume a relational
approach to teaching adult learners.
Building on Clandinin and Connelly‘s (1992) regard of teachers as curriculum makers and
Hollingsworth et al.‘s (1993) view of relational knowing, relational teacher education offers
methods in which teacher educators can understand their own personal practical knowledge,
make their teacher education practices more responsive to the needs of preservice teachers,
and situate their work in their professional landscapes (Kitchen, 2009).
Enhancing teacher educator knowledge is very crucial in order to create a very successful
citizen. To do so, teacher educator needs to acquire and learn various skills in their stay in the
universities and in addition they need constantly eager to upgrade their professional
development. Of the elements that are needed in creating superb teacher educator, teacher
educators need to learn relevant curriculum and appraising effectiveness of teacher educator
preparation program for the student teacher is also very important. In addition, teacher
educators need to possess Reflection and self study skill, an ongoing understanding of the
changing environment, pedagogical skill, and knowledge for teaching. Involving teacher
educators in major educational reforms, inculcating their voice and proving adequate training
is also very crucial issue to support their professional development and enhance their
implementation skill.
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